You know, it seems like the only time ol’ Tricky Dick Nixon‘s presidency gets mentioned. It’s typically in a pretty negative light. When’s the last time you heard anyone discuss how he helped ease some of the Cold War tensions between the US and the Soviet Union and China. What about the two landmark arms control treaties that he signed with the USSR – SALT I and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty? Sure, Watergate was kind of a big deal. But Nixon still accomplished a few notable things throughout his tenure as Commander and Chief. Really, we could probably devote an entire video to detailing his more admirable achievements. But unfortunately, this is not going to be that video.
Nope, today we’re going to be talking at length about how Nixon wasted throughout his entire presidency. This was a guy that loved his alcohol. He probably consumed more of the stuff than water. While it’s true that Winston Churchill also drank like a fish. At least he helped lead the British to victory in the Second World War. Plus, Churchill was one charismatic fella. Nixon, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly the kind of dude you’d want randomly showing up at a party.
In retrospect, very few things in history are more unnerving than an inebriated Richard Nixon. After all, this was a man who had the nuclear launch codes at his fingertips and was presumably the leader of the free world. Whenever he drank, which was pretty much always, he turned into a sloppy, bitter drunk, and in the end his love for the bottle proved to be a contributing factor in his undoing.
After the details of his involvement with Watergate came to light and Nixon became the first – and only – US president successfully impeached and convicted. Nixon hit the booze even harder. While it’s not our desire to run Nixon’s name through the mud. And especially since he seems to have already done a pretty good job of doing that himself. We do think it’s important to understand just how dearly his ethanol addiction cost him.
But let’s be honest, drunk or sober, Richard Nixon was pretty awful. It really doesn’t even matter what side of the political aisle you’re on. It’s pretty obvious that his problems merely exasperated – not caused by – his alcoholism. Let’s take a look back at some of Richard Nixon downright frightening Drunk moments, most shocking and startling.
He Tried To Nuke North Korea
We mentioned a moment ago how troubling it is to have an alcoholic in the Oval Office when they have access to a nuclear arsenal. While the vast majority or Presidents haven’t even dreamed of ‘pushing the button’. And in reality they would merely delegate that duty to someone else if they had to. Our old pal Tricky Dick once came dangerously close to launching a few nukes at North Korea back in 1969.
Things got dicey after the “hermit kingdom” shot an American spy plane out of the air while it was flying over the sea of Japan. Nixon was a bit tipsy at the time when he heard about the incident. And reportedly immediately gave the orders to retaliate with a nuclear strike.
Fortunately, Henry Kissinger saved the day by getting on the phone and instructing everyone to wait for Nixon to sober up before taking any action. Once Nixon’s liver filtered out all of that cognac, he had a change of heart after ‘mulling it over’ as he put it.
Nixon Loved To Put On Film Soundtracks When He Smashed
You know, there’s nothing wrong with rocking out to the Space Jam soundtrack after you’re a few shots into an all-night bender. Personally, I’m more of a Big Lebowski soundtrack fan whenever I get my drink on. But that’s just like, you know, my opinion man.
Anyway, for Richard Nixon, whenever he got hammered, he preferred the musical arrangements featured in obscure documentaries accompanied by the sound of his own voice. If happy drunk, he would blast the score of his favorite 1950s documentary, Victory at Sea. But god-forbid he got sad drunk, because then he would simply put on his clandestine private recordings from around the White House.
So, pretty much, long before the advent of social media, Nixon was already engaging in what was tantamount to drunkenly scrolling through old Facebook posts and Tweets while feeling insta-regret and shame.
There’s just something so sad and pathetic about picturing Nixon with his headphones on trying to figure out how it all went wrong. Let’s take a look back at some of Richard Nixon downright frightening Drunk moments, most shocking and startling.
Richard Nixon Too Drunk To Take An Urgent Call During The Arab-Israeli War
On the evening of October 11, 1973, with the US and the USSR seemingly on a collision course and just a few days into the Arab-Israeli War, Edward Heath, Britain’s Prime Minister at the time, attempted to reach Nixon by phone to discuss the on-going crisis.
Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s National security advisor, put in a rather awkward situation. It is because on the one hand he knew how dire the situation was but last time he saw the President he was loaded.
He asked his assistant Brent Scowcroft, who had been the one that told him about the request. If he could tell the PM no. Scowcroft then suggested that they could tell the folks over at 10 Downing St that the President was merely indisposed at the moment and that he would call them back.
In the end, Kissinger told Heath that the President would be available in the morning.
Not to get too sidetracked, but if you’re enjoying this video so far, take a moment to show us a little support by giving it a like and subscribing to the Facts Verse channel. Let’s take a look back at some of Richard Nixon downright frightening Drunk moments, most shocking and startling.
He Blackout Drunk For The Yom Kippur War
War is stressful. And sometimes, when people are stressed out, they like to drink. While there certainly is nothing wrong with sipping on an ice-cold lager at the end of a particularly hectic day. When it’s time to take care of business, you should probably clearheaded.
It’s pretty well established that Nixon buzzed during the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War. But he took stress drinking to a whole new level when he proceeded to absolutely plastered throughout nearly the entirety of the Cold War-era conflict.
Think about that for a second. the Cold War was a period where it was critical for world leaders to choose their moves with finesse and soundness of mind. Any wrong move could have taken the Cold War hot in a heartbeat. The Soviets were using the conflict in the middle east as an opportunity to pursue their aims. And assert themselves against their Western rivals.
When Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev made threats against Americans, Nixon failed to send him a response because he’s ‘too tired’. Kissinger and Secretary of State Alexander Haig constantly had to cover for the President as he always either blackout drunk or unconscious.
After the Yom Kippur War was over, Nixon proclaimed to the media that he had been ‘indispensable’ throughout the conflict. More like incapacitated! Let’s take a look back at some of Richard Nixon downright frightening Drunk moments, most shocking and startling.
He Was A Classic Drunk-Dialer
We all have that one friend who likes to call us up at 2 am drunk as skunk just to tell us how much they love us. While there is something somewhat endearing about that kind of drunk-dialing, it’s also pretty obnoxious.
Then there’s folks that get the bright idea to ring up their exes after the bars close just to ‘check in’. At that point, drunk-dialing is a bit more problematic. Word to the wise. Move on. She’s with someone new. Let her be happy.
Anyway, Nixon was also a textbook drunk-dialer, and according to some, he was one of the worst. Although, at this point, does that even surprise you?
The President enjoyed drinking alone, which is problematic on it’s own. But when he would especially sloshed, he sought out people to annoy – I mean, talk to. Nixon would frequently ring up his staff members to either chew them out or fire them. Other times, he would phone his allies just to lament about how hard everything was. And how he was getting the short of the stick.
Most people would simply ignore these conversations, knowing that Nixon wouldn’t remember them the following morning.
The strangest drunk-dialed calls Nixon would make from the Oval Office were to his old college football coach. It is whom he would seek guidance and inspiration from. Let’s take a look back at some of Richard Nixon downright frightening Drunk moments, most shocking and startling.
‘The Boys’ Brought Him A Stripper To The White House
While Nixon might have done most of his drinking at the White House solo, he also had an assortment of drinking pals that he would tip back tallboys with from time to time. Nixon’s bibulous buddies would often aid him in getting into debauchery. You know, as you do when you’re friends with the leader of the free world.
On one occasion, Nixon’s close mate, banker Bebe Rebozo, and several others showed up at the White House at 2 am toting a trunk that they declared meant for the President. When the Secret Service opened it up, they found a nude stripper clutching a bottle of champagne.
The Secret Service refused to let the girl in and sent the inebriated band of ruffians on their way.
He Lost His Marbles And Munched On Dog Biscuits
It was no secret that Nixon loved his dog, Checkers. He once even gave a long-winded passionate speech about his four-legged friend. But at the height of the Watergate scandal, when Nixon’s alcoholism and depression were at their worse. He was once spotted by one of his staffers gnawing on a doggy biscuit with his pet. While this wasn’t the President’s only display of odd and concerning behavior around this time. It definitely was one of the most memorable. Apparently, whoever saw Nixon mindlessly munching on the Milkbones first backed away slowly before running off and immediately telling everyone they knew what they had just seen.
History has not been very kind to Richard Nixon, but to be honest, he brought it upon himself. While there are still a few die-hard Nixon supporters out there that believe that he dealt a bad hand. The majority of American’s are pretty much in agreement that he was one of the worst President’s in United States’ history.
Do you think that a sitting US President should be drinking on the job? If not, what do you think should done if a President is inebriated during a major international crisis? Share your thoughts with us down in the comments.
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